Gas and Garbage

Still way down under in New Zealand for this one

Compressed Gas (2009)

Released on Siltbreeze in 2009, but the recordings themselves date from between 1996 & 1998. Another in a long line of bands involving some of the folks who populated a hundred other bands I really like such as Scorched Earth Policy & the Terminals. 

I swear, these guys are like the Taco Bell of musicians. Constantly forming new bands out of different combinations of the same small pool of ingredients. (and every one something I particularly gravitate to) and to top it off they named themselves Gas which makes them according to Discogs the twelfth band to use the moniker.

the Garbage and the Flowers (1992)

Meanwhile the first the Western Hemisphere was aware of the Garbage and the Flowers was this release on Twisted Village. The obvious cues for them are, of course, the Velvet Underground but who gives a shit. They didn't. They barely rehearsed or performed. They broke up and then moved to Australia and reformed. This was the only release while they existed the first time. They were quiet and they were noisy in that Jesus and Mary Chain either/or kind of song by song basis.

They were influential in those circles where people like to namedrop really obscure shit to seem smarter than they really are.

Here's your opportunity to call those assholes on their bluff.

Collaborative efforts

Sort of running out of creative ways to describe Mr. Galbraith's oeuvre.

What say we stick with "Good Stuff" for now

or at least until I'm awake or had enough coffee to expand my vocabulary enough to do justice to what it is.

Or just listen and come up with your own idea.

Here's a pair of collaborative seven inches.

Tae Keening (1995)

With Demarnia Lloyd.

Orange Raja, Blood Royal (1995)

It's probably around this time that I got to see Alastair live and in person at the Uptown Bar & Grill (r.i.p.) with Peter Jefferies and I think, Trash. (Sandra Bell may have been involved as well. But there were a lot of NZ folks touring though town at that time and it was a long time ago. Details may be a bit jumbled in my fading memory)

I bought one of the few remaining copies of the Plagal Grind ep from Mr. Jefferies and one of the 30 or so copies of Mr. Galbraith's "Seconds" cassette (which I'll digitize some day when I'm not quite so afraid of my cassette deck eating it.) which he'd made exclusively for the tour and sorely underestimated demand for. (they were gone in two stops)

Peter Jefferies sat in my booth while we watched Alastair's set.
(It went something like this but younger.)

But this single is our hero adding his bits in a trans-world tape exchange collaboration with John Darnielle (aka Mountain Goats). It's more Mountain Goats than Galbraith, but this is where I'd originally filed it so I'm sticking it here anyway. I'll probably put it away differently now.

More of the same and for good reason

Cluster (1994)

Fragile fragments in lo-fi perfect for late night listening.

Of note is the song "Pip Proud" which is the first mention I think most of us had ever heard of this mysterious unknown Australian artist who was billed as being Australia's answer to Syd Barrett even though he recorded his first couple of lps before Syd released his first solo lp. Byron Coley lays out his story pretty well in his review of a 2014 compilation, "A Fraying Space"
Alastair would go on to record one seven inch collaboration with him that's on the docket somewhere way down the line. (It's filed under "P". You'll have to wait until I get there.)

 Rivulets (1997)

(See previous description)

And while you're at it. There's lots more at his Bandcamp. Go and buy some stuff. It's worth it.

It's code

Morse (1993)

It's been reissued a couple of times on CD. But here's my beloved copy of the original Siltbreeze vinyl release by Alastair Galbraith. Still a favorite around the confines of this room.

"Stone", the closer, is the one that seals the deal.

Play delicately and exquisitely late in the night.

The small and the intimate

I'm starting to think if I keep queuing stuff up at the pace I'm going, I'll soon be a full year ahead of myself. At the time I am starting this one, it's just past Thanksgiving of 2016 and Fidel Castro, in one last act of defiance against the CIA that plotted his assassination for many years, has died of old age.

Hopefully 2017 has been an improvement on the previous shit show that 2016 was.

I suspect that my future self is not hold my breath.

Gaudylight (1991)

My introduction to the small and magical lo-fi world of Alastair Galbraith.

I've always had a sort of contention that people write music to fill up the area that they play it in. It stands to reason that as a band's venue grows, so does the music change to reach those elusive nosebleed seats and the size and scope of the sound grows with it.
In other cases, there is a kind of personal music that one does on one's own that exists primarily within the confines of a small room and the headphones attached to recording device.

Alastair Galbraith makes the latter.

It isn't very big. Not as much time is spent on getting every detail perfect as capturing the moment, warts and all as it happens when the little red recording light is a steady red. Small fragile things and snippets of songs cut off suddenly when they seem on the verge of going awry.

Ideal for headphones and long walks.

 

Intro Version (1994)

 Go to his bandcamp page. Give him some love and some money.

You know you can.

Do it.